Enrdyft- "the China Digest, Shang"
Cull to Arms Born in 1612, one of nine sons. Tso 'Taung-tang graduated in the provin-cla examination In 1832, but although the never sat for the' metropolitan examinations, the Empress Dowager Was so struck by his ability that she took the unprecedented stop appointing him to the Tmperial_ser= View." Th 1808 he was the Commander-in-Chief of the campaign against the Mahomedans in. Shensi and Kansu. His reputation had then been made as a lender of great ro-solution and ability In Kiangs! and Chekiang. against the Taipiniss and, ater, in Pukien where he had become Generalissimo of the Kwangtung. Kinngsl and Fukien armies. Captain Bales describes the various campaigns with professional attention to points of. strategy nnd tactics and has not forgotten {o make his narrative Interesting to the layman as well as as instructive {0 the soldier.
Extracts from Tso Tsung-tana's writings "have an extraordinarily modern ring about them, or do they show that the more. it) changes China the more it is the same For instance. at time when. the Tuusslans and the certain pressure Government, he write Ching " wore From the introduction to this volume it may not be indiscreet to that Ube author has derived inspiration from Shanghai's Short Story Club, and if that is so, the Club is to' be congratulated on the standard of attainment which It has produced. All the qualities of a good Short story are 10 be found in this modest little volume, The author is fan-adept at Invoking the long arm of coincidence, but he does pleasantly thai the audacity Is forfiven. He is not content to remain fu China, and when his muse wanders further afield she Is as productive of entertainment as when she remains In the setting which he knows best. He has a gift for illustrating the bizarre, with a touch of grimness which suggests that he might try his hand at a grand guignol drama were hho so disposed. The particular story which suggests this development is "The Millionth Chance." It conveys a warning to those wives who think they can solve their matrimonial difleulties by the direct process of committing the perfect murder.—e1
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.